Evidence of use: A selective COX-2 inhibitor in the treatment of experimental chronic pancreatitis induced by Dibutyltin dichloride

The search for new prophylactic and therapeutic drugs for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an urgent problem in current pancreatology. A promising direction in CP therapy may be the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate the selective inhibition properties of COX-2 rofecoxib on the development of pancreas fibrosis in rats with experimental chronic pancreatitis induced by Dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC). The 60 male albino Wistar rats of our study were placed into three groups of 20 animals in each: I - the intact control; II - that which received an intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of DBTC (6 mg/g); III - those which, 28 days after administration of DBTC (6 mg/g, i.p.), received a two-week course of treatment of rofecoxib (5 mg/kg, i.p). One day after rofecoxib treatment was completed, analysis was undertaken regarding the level of amylase, as well as the pancreatic amylase and lipase in the blood serum and the prostaglandin E2 in the pancreatic tissue. In addition, the morphological condition of the pancreas was ascertained. The obtained data suggest that administration of Rofecoxib reduces the development of fibrosis and improves the morpho-functional state of the pancreas in rats with chronic pancreatitis induced by DBTC. Thus, treatment with a selective COX-2 inhibitor could be a possible strategy for improving the clinical outcome of patients with CP.